Sex Work for Women—Feminism vs. Misogyny
A beautiful young woman, not a day over twenty, sits alone at a dimly lit table. She sits comfortably in Nobu, one of TriBeCa’s most luxurious restaurants known for its notably well-crafted cuisine and the famous names that regularly appear on the guest list. She waits patiently for her date to arrive as she fiddles with her oil slick colored Chanel nail polish and tugs at the sleeve of her brand new cream Balenciaga top. She fits in beautifully among the others around her, all obvious members of the upper one percent. Her date finally arrives, an older gentleman nearly twice her age. At first glance, one may assume he’s her father, family member, or maybe even her boss. He kisses her daintily on the lips and they proceed with their date—it is clear his role in her life is something much more thrilling than being a mere colleague. He is her sugar daddy, benefactor, and the entire reason she lives the life she lives.
It is clear that as a culture, Americans are far more accepting of sex work done by women than other countries holding more conservative morals; however, women in the sex industry are still scrutinized. The term “sex work” refers to work performed by individuals of any gender, involving sexual services such as sexual intercourse, stripping, lap dances, or pornography in exchange for goods or monetary gain. Often in the past, sex work was thought of as a cut and dry term used for prostitution, but as time has progressed, many other forms of sex work have emerged as common, especially amongst young women. With student debt in America averaging at nearly $30,000 upon graduating and college degrees being more necessary to live a “comfortable life” than ever before, it makes sense as to why there’s a rising number of college students entering sex work as a means of paying the bills.
It is not a reach to say that money is not entirely the motive behind the madness, in fact, some may say money is the direct motive involved in becoming a sex worker. In fact, as feminism becomes more powerful and prominent in American culture, it works its way into the sex industry in unconventional ways. Many conflicting opinions, including those from other women, suggest that sex work is a misogynistic industry that negatively impacts women. This holds true in some cases, but recently a wave of feminism has worked its way into the sex industry and caused devolution of power from the men participating in sex work to the women performing the sex work. Originally thought to be victims of the industry, women in sex work are now taking their work to another level, incorporating feminism, sexual positivity, and body positivity into their work life.
Before one can understand the feminist movement reclaiming the sex industry, one must understand the arguments and scrutiny sex workers already face and what exactly there is to revolt against. Women in general face shaming of all sorts, especially regarding sexuality and appearance. The media influences women to appear a certain way to feel good about themselves, constantly placing pressure on women of all ages to look like the celebrities in magazines. Recently, the concept of “the perfect body” has shifted in a direction where women with larger breasts, enlarged rear ends, and small waists are idolized and regarded as having the ideal figure. It is ironic that at the same time women are pressured to adhere to this hyper-sexualized idea of perfection, they are also being bashed left and right for showing off this body that the media so desperately wants them to achieve. Nobody can ever win. Not only are women’s bodies constantly under the microscope of society, their lives and professions are too. It’s clear through an article written by (ironically) other women just how much women truly can’t ever seem to win this battle. The article suggests that “feminists” who choose to pursue careers and independence rather than pursuing starting a family are giving up “having it all.” The article proceeds to bash feminism and even goes as far as to put the blame on other women themselves, saying that feminism is ruining the concept of a traditional family by stating “…feminists are not satisfied to merely lay a guilt trip on women who are contemplating marriage, motherhood, and child-rearing.” Organizations such as “Ladies Against Feminism” are going out of their way to be women contributing to hate against other women and to also bash the lives and careers of women that don’t even involve sex work. It becomes increasingly evident just how much judgment women face regardless of what profession they choose. In addition to sex workers being exposed to the highest level of scrutiny regarding women’s professions, sex workers are also subjected to an increased level of victim blaming in the instance of sexual violence. Law enforcement and the justice system have already revealed their flaws in serving justice to victims of sexual crime. Quite often, victims are blamed for what they were wearing, how they were acting, whether or not drugs or alcohol were involved, and many other circumstantial factors in order to appease the actions of their attacker. Women face the reality that dressing provocatively, working in the sex industry, or even being under the influence can land them in a situation where law enforcement belittles their situation and fails to provide adequate protection under the law from their attackers. Most victims of sexual violence will never have the satisfaction of seeing their attacker behind bars for their crimes. These are issues that women, sex workers or not, have to constantly battle. With women being taught to hide their true sexual nature, remain conservative, and to exist in a narrow role that society creates for them, it’s clear as to why there’s a revolt against this conservative idea of womanhood. Women are bending societal norms in an effort to reclaim their sexuality in a way that’s powerful and promotes the empowerment of women.
Specific movements like Free The Nipple are changing the way society views women’s bodies. Many movements, especially this one in particular strive to normalize the over-sexualized parts of women’s bodies, such breasts, in an attempt to promote equality among men and women. This is similar as to what’s happening with feminism in the sex industry and provides an easily parallel for comparison. Much like the Free The Nipple movement, women who work as strippers, adult film stars, and even as sugar babies display their bodies freely as a way to reclaim their sexuality that they’re often shamed for. By placing the power in the hands of women, the power to scrutinize and demonize sex workers is revoked from the hands of those who do so. Women proudly working as strippers, for instance, take control of an industry that’s often thought of as being misogynistic and using it as a form of women’s empowerment. Many strippers such as Antonia Crane say they feel “in control” and explain that “our bodies are gorgeous.” With the sex industry booming, it only makes sense for women to have a firm foot in the industry and strive to sustain an industry their own way rather than having it remain shameful and taboo.
Despite stripping and other sex work, a rather popular means of obtaining money through sex work is working as a “sugar baby.” A sugar baby differs from a prostitute by providing more than just sex to her sugar daddy. This is how being a sugar baby is a legal loophole in sex work. A sugar baby receiving money, gifts, and support from her “daddy” is legal, even if sex is involved, as long as other services such as companionship and a relationship are also provided. It is a grey area of sex work but many young women have used this to their advantage. Sugaring has becoming a booming trend on social media with many Twitter and Instagram socialites proudly documenting their lives as sugar babies. A popular sugaring website, Seeking Arrangement, claims that there are over two million sugar babies on their website and an astonishing 44% of which are college students. The website even goes as far as attempting to recruit college students to join the site claiming “College Sugar Babies receive an average $3,000 per month allowances and gifts from Sugar Daddies.” The website uses low minimum wage as an incentive for an alternate profession asserting, “Don’t waste precious study hours at a minimum wage job. Connect with generous benefactors on SeekingArrangement.com.” Although there’s no valid source to this information, it’s a key indicator that there’s a large incentive to becoming a sugar baby. With women still making a measly three-quarters of the dollar men make doing the same professions, it’s a no-brainer that sugaring can pull in much more money than working a day job. Seeking arrangement also supports a blog where women in the sugar baby community can come together and share advice, stories, and support one another within the community. Sugaring evidently promotes women coming together in a collective effort to turn misogyny around. With a strong community and a high monetary incentive, it makes sense as to why young women are turning to sex work as a means of supporting themselves. With nearly half of the women on Seeking Arrangement being college students, sugaring empowers women in a way that may not be outwardly obvious. With women turning to sex work to pay for their education, it empowers women to obtain a degree while allowing for more time to study and more money to live comfortably while in school. If women are in control of wealthy men’s wallets, it is clear that they are the ones in control of the industry, despite popular belief.
The sex industry has been slowly normalized by celebrities and the media covering stories featuring celebrities in the sex industry or showcasing celebrities that support sex work. While most times the tabloids use sex work as a scandalous way of exposing a celebrity, many have used this to their advantage rather than allowing the media to tarnish their reputation. Kim Kardashian’s rise to fame after her leaked sex tape with Ray J is a prime example of an instance where a woman was able to successfully capitalize off of her sexuality. In addition, former strippers such as Amber Rose and Blac Chyna rose to fame through exotic dancing and now use their experience in the sex industry to drive their voices as feminist icons.
In conclusion, there’s a clear shift in how sex work is being viewed by society, culture, and the media. Women who support female empowerment and feminism are seen using their voices to speak out against shaming those who perform sex work and are slowly putting an end to slut shaming. By raising awareness and supporting acceptance of sexuality, the shaming of sex workers is slowly diminishing. While there will always be negative opinions shadowing women in the sex industry (and women in general for that matter), it is clear that a collective shift from these misogynistic, oppressive viewpoints is arising. By taking over an industry that was once known for objectifying and oppressing women, feminists are putting power back into the hands of the sex workers and changing the industry’s chain of control. With sex work in the hands of the workers themselves, awareness being spread, and body positivity booming, sex work is becoming safer and better-accepted as an occupation for women of all ages and backgrounds. This is a crucial shift in society especially while still existing in a culture where women are systematically treated as lesser than men.
Annotated Bibliography
- Allie Bidwell, “Average Student Debt Approaches $30,000,” US News, November 13, 2014, accessed August 11, 2016 http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/13/average-student-loan-debt-hits-30-000
Bidwell explains that student debt is becoming increasingly high for millennials as the national averages rises above $28,000. She explains that the now is the most expensive time to ever attempt to earn a degree and the number of students graduating with student debt is increasing rapidly.
- Antonia Crane, “Inside the world of a feminist stripper,” CNN, December 15, 2014, accessed August 12, 2016
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/29/living/antonia-crane-stripper-essay/index.html
Crane describes in an interview that being a stripper is more empowering than it is degrading. She describes the monetary gain, daily routine, and thrill of being an exotic dancer. She defends her standpoint that stripping is not a shameful profession and encourages body positivity.
- “Discover a New Way To Afford an Education,” Seeking Arrangement, accessed August 11, 2016,
Seeking Arrangement uses propaganda is a means of catching the eye of students. The website attempts to recruit sugar babies to attend “sugar baby university” as a means of paying for their college.
- “Does Prostitution Demean Women? – Legal Prostitution – ProCon.org,” ProConOrg Headlines, accessed August 10, 2016, http://prostitution.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000104
The pros and cons are weighed out to clearly explain the argument of whether or not sex work demeans women. Many factual points are proposed on either side of the argument. The article successfully provides information regarding the effects of the sex work industry on a woman’s self image.
- Kotiswaran, Prabha, Sex Work (Women Unlimited, 2011) 34-35
The concepts of conservative beliefs and womanhood are explored to give then reader an in depth understanding of how sex work affects women’s lives. Women have been seen participating in sex work and breaking societal norms for centuries and are currently doing so in order to promote empowerment.
- Marisa Meltzer, “For Posterior’s Sake,” New York Times, September 17, 2014 , accessed August 10, 2016,
Meltzer describes the appeal of women who have large rear ends, enlarged breasts, and unnaturally slim waists. She describes how society determines what the ideal figure represents and how woman are currently attempting to achieve that.
- “Our Mission,” Free The Nipple, accessed August 12, 2016,
The website provides a clear and straight-forward explanation of their mission statement and their purpose as a movement. FTN movement strives for equality amongst all genders and promotes acceptance and empowerment for all.
- Scott, David Alexander, Behind the G-string: an exploration of the stripper’s image, her person and her meaning (McFarland & Co., 1996), 18-24.
Women who incorporate feminism into their role in the sex industry are speaking out on behalf of women’s rights and the rights of sex workers. Scott explores the image and internal emotions of a sex worker and reveals how the industry constructs the concept of self image.
- “Women Who Make Things Worse For Other Women,” Ladies Against Feminism Beautiful Womanhood, accessed August 12, 2016,
The organization Ladies Against Feminism included this writing on their website that highlights the negative opinions of other conservative women toward feminists. The piece proposes an argument that suggests that feminism is destroying the conservative idea of an ideal household and that feminism is affecting the lives of other women who choose to live traditionally.
- “Violence Against Women and Girls: Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls in Education Programming Part A,” World Health Organization, accessed August 12, 2016
Click to access swit_chpt2.pdf
The World Health Organization examines the violence and trauma that sex workers face and the risks they run. Points are made that suggest that sex workers face less justice after becoming victims of sexual violence. Factual information is shared about procedures and precautions used by individuals in the sex industry to keep themselves out of harm and at a low risk.
